Cattle Market Pulse

Ozarks Regional Stockyards Feeder Cattle Market Report

West Plains, Missouri · USDA-reported Auction Livestock

Sale of Tuesday, August 6, 2024

599 head sold ·Official USDA report

This is an archived report. See the latest Ozarks Regional Stockyards Feeder Cattle report →

light 6-weight M&L 1-2 steers $272.69/cwt -2.57 vs last sale · ≈ $1,685/hd at 618 lb · 41 head
heavy 4-weight M&L 1-2 heifers $263.79/cwt -17.91 vs last sale · ≈ $1,269/hd at 481 lb · 32 head
light 5-weight M&L 1-2 steers $289.09/cwt -6.66 vs last sale · ≈ $1,512/hd at 523 lb · 30 head

Receipts

HeadThis saleLast saleLast year
Total receipts 599 1,246 1,998
Feeder cattle 599 1,246 1,998

Market comments — USDA reporter

***Close*** Compared to last week, steer and heifer calves under 700 lbs. sold 5.00-10.00 lower with heavier weights not tested. Demand was moderate on a very light supply. This was the smallest Tuesday sale since March 2020 when Covid had everything shut down. The largest draft was 14 head with the largest grade and weight group being 41 head. Heat was a factor but not as significant as the volatility in the Futures Market. The Cattle Futures started trading sharply lower last week and continued the downward trend on Monday and found some stability on Tuesday.

New to these tables? Plain-English explainers ↓

Feeder Steers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
325 325 4 341.00 $341.00 $1,108 —
359 359 5 337.50 $337.50 $1,212 +14.42
422–442 431 18 300.00–318.00 $310.34 $1,338 -2.80
457–489 469 25 282.50–302.50 $288.98 $1,355 -24.75
515–537 523 30 275.00–300.00 $289.09 $1,512 -6.66
564–598 584 20 267.50–294.00 $274.21 $1,601 -11.41
603–642 618 41 264.00–284.00 $272.69 $1,685 -2.57
653–678 668 13 256.00 $256.00 $1,710 -11.34
1153 1153 3 180.00 $180.00 $2,075 —
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
416 416 8 340.00 $340.00 $1,414 +10.00
479–485 483 15 310.00–317.00 $312.78 $1,511 -22.30
502–526 516 7 308.00–320.00 $314.99 $1,625 -3.47
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
393 393 3 292.50 $292.50 $1,150 —
458–498 469 11 270.00–277.50 $272.17 $1,276 -18.50
511 511 6 260.00 $260.00 $1,329 —
696 696 7 240.00 $240.00 $1,670 —
1128 1128 3 160.00 $160.00 $1,805 —

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Feeder Heifers

Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
397 397 3 287.50 $287.50 $1,141 +0.50
408–445 433 27 268.00–285.00 $280.42 $1,214 -5.30
464–499 481 32 255.00–272.50 $263.79 $1,269 -17.91
505–538 530 17 247.50–260.00 $257.28 $1,364 -5.55
590–595 593 17 240.00–250.00 $244.68 $1,451 -12.65
615–628 620 20 235.00–250.00 $245.04 $1,519 -2.21
674 674 4 235.00 $235.00 $1,584 -5.96
Medium and Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
346 346 5 240.00 $240.00 $830 —
397 397 3 240.00 $240.00 $953 —
430 430 3 252.50 $252.50 $1,086 —
462–498 484 5 220.00–245.00 $235.45 $1,140 —
503–535 519 6 227.50–235.00 $231.13 $1,200 +0.04
696 696 7 217.00 $217.00 $1,510 —
777 777 6 165.00 $165.00 $1,282 —
911 911 14 145.00 $145.00 $1,321 -10.00
Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
352–367 362 11 302.50–330.00 $320.26 $1,159 +9.54
465–494 489 11 290.00–292.50 $290.43 $1,420 -6.13
508 508 4 269.00 $269.00 $1,367 -12.14
550–562 557 11 261.00–265.00 $262.80 $1,464 -19.70
609 609 11 257.00 $257.00 $1,565 -16.70
Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
503 503 6 240.00 $240.00 $1,207 —
566 566 11 248.00 $248.00 $1,404 —
Large 2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
463 463 6 252.50 $252.50 $1,169 —

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Feeder Bulls

Medium and Large 1 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
502–518 507 9 267.00–270.00 $268.02 $1,359 —
552–570 565 12 260.00–272.00 $265.36 $1,499 -7.39
Medium and Large 1-2 ($/cwt)
Weight (lb) Avg wt Head Price range Avg $ ≈ $/hdΔ last sale
455–484 473 8 267.50–275.00 $270.20 $1,278 +7.03
510–512 511 4 235.00–260.00 $247.48 $1,265 -16.50

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Reading this report

What does "Medium and Large 1" mean?

USDA feeder grades describe frame size and muscle thickness, not quality of the individual animal. "Medium and Large" is the frame score; the number is muscle (1 = heaviest muscled). "Medium and Large 1–2" pens mix both muscle scores — common across the Southeast.

What is $/cwt?

Dollars per hundredweight — per 100 lb of animal. A 500-lb calf at $450/cwt brings 5 × $450 = $2,250. Lighter cattle usually bring more per cwt but less per head.

Why are some prices per head?

Bred cows, cow-calf pairs, and some replacement classes sell by the head, not by weight. We show those exactly as USDA reports them — a $/head figure is never converted into $/cwt on this site.

Where do these numbers come from?

From the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service's Livestock Market News — federal reporters at the sale. We publish each report in full and link the official USDA document at the top of the page.